Apple expected to release iPad Pro, MacBook Pro with Mini LED displays

Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 2020
Doubling down on an earlier prediction, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple will produce new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models featuring high-quality Mini LED displays in late 2020 or early 2021.

Apple's current iPad Pro
Apple's current iPad Pro


Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is again reporting that he believes Apple will move to producing high end models of the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro which use Mini LED screens. These displays, said to be comparable to OLED, are expected to be launched in late 2020 or early 2021.

Kuo has previous predicted iPad Pro improvements, and higher-quality MacBook Pro display, but now he offers more detail about the specifics of the display.

Kuo believes the displays for both iPad Pro and MacBook Pro will use 10,000 Mini LEDs. The forthcoming Apple Pro Display XDR monitor is confirmed to have 576 LEDs.

LED and Mini LED screens are said to be comparable to OLED displays, but without the production issues or potential for burn-in. Moving to Mini LED could also reduce Apple's reliance on Samsung's OLED manufacturing.

According to Kuo, the Mini LED screens will be produced by LG Display, and utilize components from half a dozen other suppliers, including Epistar. Apple has previously been reported developing both Mini and Micro LED displays with Epistar and others.

As previously claimed, Kuo says the new iPad Pro will have a display of between 10 and 12 inches, and the MacBook Pro will have between 15 and 17-inch screens. This implies the whole high end of both models getting the new screens.

Kuo says that the new iPad Pro will be released at the end of 2020 or the start of 2021. The MacBook Pro will be early 2021.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    I’d still rather have the elegance and picture quality of a true OLED display, rather than just a glorified type of backlight, it’s still basically an LCD. This reminds me of Samsung’s QLED TVs. Which admittedly in their latest generation have great OLED rivaling image quality apparently, but at the end of the day, it’s still an LCD display requiring a backlight.
    edited September 2019 superkloton
  • Reply 2 of 26
    1983 said:
    I’d still rather have the elegance and picture quality of a true OLED display, rather than just a glorified type of backlight, it’s still basically an LCD. This reminds me of Samsung’s QLED TVs. Which admittedly in their latest generation have great OLED rivaling image quality apparently, but at the end of the day, it’s still an LCD display requiring a backlight.
    It is not a LCD or backlighting.

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/04/explaining-microled-versus-tft-and-oled-display-technologies-and-why-apple-is-interested-for-a-future-iphone-or-apple-watch

    Probably why Apple is investing so heavily to keep Japan Display afloat.
    SoundJudgmentchiawatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 26
    omasou said: It is not a LCD or backlighting.
    It is a bit confusing, but Mini LED (as mentioned in the article) is a different technology than Micro LED.

    https://www.ledinside.com/news/2018/5/difference_between_micro_led_and_mini_led
    superklotonnetroxbonobobcoolfactorfastasleepboltsfan17watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 26
    LED and Mini LED screens are said to be comparable to OLED displays

    This sentence should only be "Mini LED screens are said to be comparable to OLED displays". Not sure how anyone can say LED in LCD panel comparable to OLED. That's just false.


    coolfactor
  • Reply 5 of 26
    Is it possible that Apple would use Mini-LED in phones next year or it would be suitable for Watch as well?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 26
    'Mini' is just a stepping stone which is coming for next-year devices. 'Micro' is the ultimate goal, which we won't see till some time after.
    edited September 2019 superklotonthtcoolfactorwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 26
    omasou said:
    1983 said:
    I’d still rather have the elegance and picture quality of a true OLED display, rather than just a glorified type of backlight, it’s still basically an LCD. This reminds me of Samsung’s QLED TVs. Which admittedly in their latest generation have great OLED rivaling image quality apparently, but at the end of the day, it’s still an LCD display requiring a backlight.
    It is not a LCD or backlighting.

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/04/explaining-microled-versus-tft-and-oled-display-technologies-and-why-apple-is-interested-for-a-future-iphone-or-apple-watch

    Probably why Apple is investing so heavily to keep Japan Display afloat.
    I think you're confused between Micro LED and Mini LED the article talking about.
    superklotoncoolfactorsuddenly newtonroundaboutnow
  • Reply 8 of 26
    omasou said:
    1983 said:
    I’d still rather have the elegance and picture quality of a true OLED display, rather than just a glorified type of backlight, it’s still basically an LCD. This reminds me of Samsung’s QLED TVs. Which admittedly in their latest generation have great OLED rivaling image quality apparently, but at the end of the day, it’s still an LCD display requiring a backlight.
    It is not a LCD or backlighting.

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/04/explaining-microled-versus-tft-and-oled-display-technologies-and-why-apple-is-interested-for-a-future-iphone-or-apple-watch

    Probably why Apple is investing so heavily to keep Japan Display afloat.
    1983 is correct.  It is LCD backlighting.  You're confusing miniLED with microLED.  To be fair, miniLED is a purposely labeled misnomer designed to do exactly what it did to you... make you mistakenly associate it with microLED.  
    frantisek said:
    Is it possible that Apple would use Mini-LED in phones next year or it would be suitable for Watch as well?
    It's doubtful imo.  Mini-LED would be seriously cost prohibitive in a phone.  It would probably make everyone long for the days of expensive OLED phones.
    Here's some info from last year about component cost: https://technology.ihs.com/607532/manufacturing-cost-of-mini-led-backlighting-lcd-still-too-high-to-compete-with-conventional-displays  Even if the cost has dropped over the year's time difference, it would still be way more expensive than the tech that Apple is currently using for phones.  When you consider that cost was factored at medium sized panels... the expense of further miniaturization to accommodate phones would be most likely overwhelmingly more expensive than LCD and OLED imo.  Mini-LED ain't cheap.  That's why you see it high end TV's and monitors.

    edited September 2019 dysamoriagatorguycoolfactormuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 9 of 26
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    What happened to MicroLED ? Sooner Apple moves off Samsung OLED, better of Apple and iPhone users. Apple needs to control it's destiny for every component goes into it's products.
    edited September 2019
  • Reply 10 of 26
    Kuo previously predicted - and other analysts have jumped on that bandwagon as well - that Apple would produce a 16" MacBook Pro this year.  Just a few days ago, I saw an article claiming that production is ramping up and that it'll be released in October.  Is Kuo changing his tune - or is this 16" beast just an interim solution until these miniLED Macs come?  Doesn't seem likely to me that Apple would introduce a new high end 16" this year and then immediately render it "obsolete" the following.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 26
    d_2d_2 Posts: 117member
    Trying to clarify the general display types vs. confusion from the article and responses:

    LCD Panel, 3 major types of backlighting 
    - FL backlight (old tech)
    - LED backlight (current tech)
    - Mini LED backlight (newer current tech, increases number of backlight zones)

    OLED, no backlight required (current tech)

    Micro LED, also no backlight required (next gen tech)

    dysamoriacoolfactorsuddenly newtonmatrix077roundaboutnowwatto_cobramuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 12 of 26
    I have a lot of trouble believing that we’re going to see a new form factor Macbook Pro with a new display — the rumored 16" — and then another new display for the same design next year. One of these two rumors is wrong. 
    bonobobMetriacanthosauruswatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 26
    foljsfoljs Posts: 390member
    tjwolf said:
    Kuo previously predicted - and other analysts have jumped on that bandwagon as well - that Apple would produce a 16" MacBook Pro this year.  Just a few days ago, I saw an article claiming that production is ramping up and that it'll be released in October.  Is Kuo changing his tune - or is this 16" beast just an interim solution until these miniLED Macs come?  Doesn't seem likely to me that Apple would introduce a new high end 16" this year and then immediately render it "obsolete" the following.
    Kuo says in today's quote that "the MacBook Pro will have between 15 and 17-inch screens". So why would the "16 beast just [be] an interim solution"? It IS the machine that will feature the miniLEDs....
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 26
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,415member
    1983 said:
    I’d still rather have the elegance and picture quality of a true OLED display, rather than just a glorified type of backlight, it’s still basically an LCD. This reminds me of Samsung’s QLED TVs. Which admittedly in their latest generation have great OLED rivaling image quality apparently, but at the end of the day, it’s still an LCD display requiring a backlight.
    The problem is that on iPadOS and MacBooks where we will likely have long term static images and will lead to burn ins. With iPhones, they go blank within seconds when you're not using it. OLED also has a much shorter lifespan making it not a good investment - resale value would be reduced significantly. Who wants a screen that becomes more and more inaccurate with colors? With LCD, it stays pristine and never burns in and won't lose its color fidelity. miniLCD is nice as it should save some power but microLED will be even nicer as it would be a lot more energy efficient and resemble more like OLED. The benefit of microLED is that even at its brightest, it will be more energy efficient than OLED. But the disadvantage is that it's difficult to produce.
    tmaywatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 26
    wood1208 said:
    What happened to MicroLED ? Sooner Apple moves off Samsung OLED, better of Apple and iPhone users. Apple needs to control it's destiny for every component goes into it's products.
    Why? Apple has had zero problems with the OLED displays they've gotten from Samsung.
  • Reply 16 of 26
    Eric_WVGG said:
    I have a lot of trouble believing that we’re going to see a new form factor Macbook Pro with a new display — the rumored 16" — and then another new display for the same design next year. One of these two rumors is wrong. 

    If you're referring to the switch from LCD > Mini LED > Micro LED, believe i. Mini LED Is a transitional tech, able to use much of the LCD tooling available today, whereas Micro LED is a totally different tech.

    AppleInsider, I think you might need to hyphenate Mini LED in the headline? "Mini-LED Display", otherwise the word Mini could apply to Display. 🤣
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 26
    wood1208 said:
    What happened to MicroLED ? Sooner Apple moves off Samsung OLED, better of Apple and iPhone users. Apple needs to control it's destiny for every component goes into it's products.
    Why? Apple has had zero problems with the OLED displays they've gotten from Samsung.
    To stop financing a competitor.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 26
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    wood1208 said:
    What happened to MicroLED ? Sooner Apple moves off Samsung OLED, better of Apple and iPhone users. Apple needs to control it's destiny for every component goes into it's products.
    It’s still coming. Mini-LED is basically a transitional or in-between step.

    MicroLED is essentially where each pixel has its own individual LED backlight behind it. Today’s LED LCDs have one LED backlight for all the pixels, all 3, 6, 12 million of them. The Pro XDR display has about 576 LED backlights arrayed behind the pixels, lighting up 35k pixels each. This rumored iPad and MBP miniLED has 10,000 LED backlights arrayed behind the pixels, so about 600 to 700 pixels for each LED backlight. That would be a square of about 25x25 pixels per backlight, or about 3 x 3 mm at 200 PPI.

    As the technology gets further, it’ll be down to 4x4 or 2x2 pixels, and eventually just 1. So like OLED, but with less risk for organic polymer degradation (burn-in, nonuniform colors, et al), and hopefully good bye to Pentile.


    netroxwatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 26
    So I guess they're going to make local dimming technology portable.  How's the cost?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 26
    Sounds like Apple has love hate relationship with OLED displays. Now that Mini LED tech is evolving they will be cramming as many LEDs in our displays as they can. 
    watto_cobra
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